Democrats Hunt Kristi Noem Over Airport Video; Hatch Act Accusations Fly
Thursday marks Day 16 of the Schumer Shutdown, and Senate Democrats are chasing headlines instead of reopening the government.
They’ve fixated on a DHS video by Secretary Kristi Noem that points blame at Democratic senators, and multiple airports refused to run it.
Senate Democrats responded with a Hatch Act probe, led by Connecticut’s Richard Blumenthal, turning a policy spat into a political investigation.
Democratic senators are alleging that the Department of Homeland Security potentially violated the Hatch Act by asking airports across the country to play a video featuring DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for the impacts of the government shutdown.
“This appears to be a flagrant violation of Sec. 715, which states ‘No part of any funds appropriated in this or any other act shall be used by an agency of the executive to branch… for the preparation, distribution or use of any… film presentation designed to support or defeat legislation pending before the Congress, except in presentation to the Congress itself,'” Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal wrote in the letter to DHS citing a section from the Anti-Lobbying Act.
The Hatch Act restricts certain political activities by federal employees and by some state, Washington, D.C., and local government workers who are involved or work in federally funded programs. Penalties for violating it include removal from federal employment, suspension without pay, demotion, or blocking a party from federal jobs for up to five years, according to the Office of Special Counsel.
This is the political oxygen for the left right now; they want even memes flagged as violations.
The Hatch Act of 1939 is a federal law designed to limit the political activities of government employees. Its primary purpose is to ensure that the federal workforce operates in a nonpartisan manner, free from political influence or coercion. The law aims to prevent the use of official authority to affect election outcomes and to protect civil servants from pressure to support specific candidates or parties. This framework helps maintain a system where federal employment and advancement are based on merit rather than political affiliation.
How does a plain airport message about delays translate into coercion or election interference? It does not.
The Hatch Act is weak and enforcement remains inconsistent, but Democrats love to wield it as a cudgel.
Examples exist: former Biden advisor Neera Tanden faces allegations for social posts seeking donations to Democrats.
In a complaint to the Merit Systems Protection Board filed on Wednesday, the OSC alleges that Neera Tanden, Director of the United States Domestic Policy Council, violated the Hatch Act by posting statements on social media asking for donations to several different Democrat candidates in the 2024 general election despite being warned against such posts.
“Congress created a rule banning all federal employees from fundraising for political candidates,” special counsel Hampton Dellinger said in a statement. “The Hatch Act contains no escape hatch for White House officials. Back in May, I made clear my office would enforce the law as written.”
According to the complaint, Tanden repeatedly posted on social media asking people to donate to Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrat candidates, even after the agency notified the White House last August that doing so was in violation of the Hatch Act.
There are also softer, questionable moments, like a congressman promoting a rally and hawking merchandise.
Governors like Gavin Newsom pour public attention into partisan programs, which should concern anyone worried about federal power.
Meanwhile Democrats demanded documents from DHS about who paid for Noem’s video and what contractors were involved.
The senators also asked DHS to provide information on the funding used to produce the video, including the cost, the approver of the funds, whether anyone from the Trump administration was consulted on the video, and if any outside contractors or organizations were involved in its creation to assess whether any federal laws were violated or funds misused, according to the letter.
Predictably, this will waste time and produce little, while the shutdown continues and travelers wait for answers.
Expect this to go nowhere.
